Shawarma for Loki
by Kagetora no Tsume
Summary: At the end of The Avengers, they all went to get shawarma. Where was Loki? Well... Caution, spoilers. Now includes Loki's return to Asgard and some other random stuff.
1. Chapter 1

Crystal eyes glared out the tinted glass of the van window.

They were kidding.

They HAD to be kidding.

As if it weren't enough that he had been utterly defeated, thrown around by an angry green monster like a ragdoll, and muzzled like a dog; he was now being left locked outside in the back seat of what the others had called a 'minivan' while the superhero team that had taken him down went to get lunch.

And apparently, he wasn't invited.

Loki wrinkled his nose slightly in disgust as his stomach growled.

_Should have eaten this morning…I KNEW I should have eaten…mother always used to nag Thor and I about not skipping meals, because we might not get the next one…_

He cut that trail of thought off quickly.

If there was one thing that he didn't want to think about right now, it was his bro-

GGGRRRROOOOWWWLLLL

Well, food. The _second_ thing he didn't want to think about was his brother. Or his father. Or really anyone relating to Asgard.

Loki leaned his head against the window. This wasn't the first time he had been imprisoned in a glass-lined cell. However, the last time he had felt a bit more…_menacing._ Like something put there because it was feared; a caged beast, that everyone watched with a kind of awe-filled fright but didn't dare touch or go near.

Now…he felt more like he had been placed in a little box. With breathing holes.

The 'Avengers' had left the windows cracked, at his brother's request. That annoying Stark had wanted to leave him completely boxed up, but the Captain and a now smaller, less angry, and less green monster had overruled him. However, none of them had brought him to lunch.

Loki closed his eyes, banging his forehead lightly against the glass with a sigh as his stomach growled again. This was just cruel…he could _see_ them in there eating! And for pathetic mortal food, it looked pretty damn good right about now.

His eyes moved from one of the costumed fighters to another. The archer was closest to the shop's shattered front window. An invaluable ally when he had controlled him. Now….not so much. Next to him, the red-head. A wit and trickery that could almost match his. It was impressive, even he had to admit. Then the Captain. A nice enough man, he supposed. After all, he had voted for leaving him breathing holes in the box. Next was-…skip. He would decide how he felt about his brother later. The next seat was occupied by Stark. Annoying human. Hadn't even gotten him that drink he had offered. And he was LOOKING AT HIM as he ate! The bastard KNEW that he was starving out here! And he was enjoying every SECOND of it! With half a glare, Loki turned his gaze to the final person at the table - the monster.

He shuddered slightly, recalling how easily the creature had manhandled him. His head was still pounding, his spine was still sore, and he was pretty sure that he would never get the incessant ringing completely out of his ears. Even when he and his brother had fought, he had never been THIS badly beaten up. That entire encounter was…horrible. In fact, the whole TRIP had been awful. This entire take-over-the-world thing had been a mistake. From beginning to end, one massive, bloody mistake. And now he was going to suffer for it, in one way or another.

At this point, he would almost _prefer_ to be jailed in Asgard. His other two options were to be endlessly hunted by the Chitauri, or to remain imprisoned here on Earth where they might let the green monster at him again.

In the restaurant, Stark flagged over the waitress. Were they finally done?

Loki watched the short conversation, not loud enough for him to make out what they were saying. After a second, the woman went into the back. At last, he was through being tormented by-

No, scratch that. The waitress just came back with seconds for everyone at the table.

THUD

His head met the glass again. Cruel, evil people. All of them.

The cut across his nose throbbed slightly, but he couldn't reach his face. His hands had been cuffed, and the chain looped through the metal bar under the driver's seat in front of him. This was _humiliating_.

He was a KING, damnit…no matter what they said, or whether or not he had a kingdom to rule. He was born a prince, and had just as much right to the throne as his stupid brother, whether or not he had been truly Asgard born…he was more fit to rule than that stubborn, dull-witted ox of a man that claimed to be his sibling.

Out of pure curiosity Loki tested the cuffs. He wasn't planning to break out, of course. That would be foolish. In his current state, he could only make it so far on foot before collapsing from sheer exhaustion. Also, the Avengers would see him, and that would probably end up with another thrashing from the green monster. However, one of his dark locks had fallen from its slicked-back place, and was tickling his forehead; and it was starting to become a bother…

If he could just…reach…it…

Despite his best efforts, Loki's fingertips were a good 6 inches from moving the piece of hair. He couldn't even attempt to blow it out of his face, because of the damned gag.

With one of his more dramatic eye-rolls, Loki leaned back against the seat, staring at the ceiling of his little moving box-prison.

So, this was how it was to end for him. His glorious reign as King of Earth wasn't going to happen, and he was reduced to nothing but a beaten, muzzled dog in a rolling cage.

A dog that they forgot to feed.

A ring caught his ears, and he let his head loll to the side to watch as the door to the Shawarma joint opened and the Avengers began to file out, takeout bags over their arms.

FINALLY they were coming back.

Loki worked up his haughtiest expression, only somewhat dampened by the gag, and glared at the Avengers as they piled into the minivan once again. Thor was first. Loki actually didn't look at him, but that didn't stop his brother from taking the seat next to him. Stark took the wheel, God help them all…. with the formerly angry green one in the passenger seat. Loki avoided eye contact with HIM as well. Provoking seemed like a BAD idea. The archer and the girl sat in the seats behind him; Loki could feel their glares piercing the back of his neck and making his hair stand up on end. The Captain took the final seat, squishing Loki tightly between his brother and the window. Lovely.

Stark jammed the keys into the car and revved the engine, glancing back over his shoulder at Loki.

"Miss us, Princess?"

Loki glared, wishing his hands were free. He would strangle that man so quickly-

GGGRRRROOWWLLL

Red flared slightly in his cheeks as his stomach announced that it wanted food and a few of the Avengers smirked at him.

"Hungry, brother?"

There was that stupid concern again. Loki shot the blond man a glare then looked haughtily out the car window. He didn't want food if Thor was the one offering. He would rather go hungry. Shut up, stomach.

He felt Thor's hand on his shoulder and he stiffened. The blonde waited for a second to see if Loki would turn, then sighed and released him.

"Alright, let's go."

The car jerked slightly as it started moving, and Loki's head hit the window.

SONOFA-

Now he could clearly hear the Black Widow giggling, and the archer's chuckle. Neither of the men in the front seats had seen, but Stark's smirk told Loki that he had planned that.

Damned man…

Thor, to his credit, was doing his best to keep a straight face. However, he was failing miserably. Feeling mocked, Loki shifted so his back was towards Thor, as much as the odd belts in the 'minivan' would allow, and glared out the window as the surroundings started to speed past.

From here, it was only a short dimension-hop home. He would have to face his father, and the rest of Asgard. And his mother. He cringed slightly at that thought. He didn't _fear_ meeting his mother again, as he did meeting his adopted father. However, he wasn't looking forward to seeing her. He had disappointed her, the only person who had ever really believed in him; the only one who had taken his side in arguments between him and his brother. She had watched out for him all his life. She was the only one in all of Asgard that he couldn't bring himself to hate. And she was the only one that he hoped would not see him like this. Chained like a criminal, stripped of his powers, led in shame through the streets to be sentenced to whatever Odin could come up with as punishment. He actually felt as if he'd let her down.

The car slowed sharply, jarring his gaze forward. They had emerged from the rubble of the city into what looked like a forest, or a large decorative garden. The rumble of the vehicle died beneath them, and the Avengers began opening the doors they were closest to. Thor unchained his handcuffs from the seat in front of him, and handed him off to the Captain while he got out of the rolling box. Loki was then escorted from the van to an open plaza as his brother walked over to a second vehicle. The doctor that had helped him build the dimensional gate got out, holding a small, armored, silver briefcase that Loki recognized as the Tesseract's transport container. It was back to Asgard for him. Joy.

"Loki." He glanced around in surprise, turning towards the speaker – Black Widow. She was holding one of the take-out bags from the Shawarma joint.

"Here." She said with a little smirk. "We saw you pouting from the van, and decided to pack you some for the trip."

Loki glanced around at each of the Avengers as his brother prepared the Tesseract. Stark was pretending that he had nothing to do with the food, while the Captain was giving him a sort of knowing half-smile. Loki watched as the red-head tucked the white plastic bag into a pouch in Thor's cloak before stepping back to stand beside Hawkeye.

He looked around a final time at the smiling Avengers as his brother held out the Tesseract for him. Maybe they weren't totally horrible people after all…


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: So everyone seemed to like my little piece of insanity here, and a friend was bugging me about wanting to see this, so here you all go.**

**Back in Asgard...**

* * *

"Loki Laufeyson. You kneel before me today, awaiting judgment on your recent actions."

The AllFather heard his own voice echo menacingly back from the walls of the empty room, and thought that his adopted son should look more intimidated. However, the young man seemed absorbed in opening…something.

"The charges against you are grave in nature. The first of which is betraying me and all of Asgard by taking the throne. The second of which is destroying Jodenhiem. The third of which is attempting to start a war with Midgard by-"

Odin broke off mid-sentence at the rustling of paper, and looked up.

Loki sat before him; not with his head hanging in shame, but intently unwrapping some kind of Midgardian food from plain paper, its outer covering – a bag – discarded off to the side carelessly.

"Are you not taking the situation seriously?" Odin asked him in a firm tone, watching the dark-haired young man take a bite so big that he could barely fit it in his mouth.

"Only in the most minimal sense." Loki mumbled around of a mouthful of Shawarma a few seconds of chewing later.

"This trial will decide your fate, Loki. I suggest that you at the very least pay attention…"

"Oh, I am." However, as if to disprove his own statement, he turned his attention to the food and took another enormous bite.

Ignoring him, Odin continued to list the charges.

"Third, attempted takeover and enslavement of Midgard. Fourth, and finally, trying to deliver the Tesseract into the hands of the Chitauri." He paused a moment to let his words sink in. Loki continued, in all appearances, to ignore him. "I don't think that you are understanding the gravity of your crimes, Loki. For a son of Odin to betray-"

"Technically I was never your son. You even disowned me at the start of this trial when you called me 'Loki Laufeyson' instead of 'Loki Odinson'."

"You were raised as a Prince of Asgard-…"

"A lie to keep me from discovering my true origin. Did you ever really intend to let me have the throne?"

He took another bite of the odd food. Odin shot him a withering glare, but it seemed to go unnoticed by the green-clad demi-god.

"You know…" Loki paused to swallow, directing the rest of his comment at Thor, "This Midgardian food isn't half bad…I can see why the obnoxious armored man wanted to go there for mid-noon meal…"

"Wait till you try coffee." The blonde grinned.

"Coffee?"

"THOR! LOKI!"

The two glanced sheepishly back at their father, who now had the bridge of his nose pinched between his index finger and thumb and was taking controlled breaths to keep his temper steady.

"If I could have your attention for the rest of the trial…?"

It was said more as a threat than a question, and both brothers instantly sobered. Loki waited until the AllFather started speaking again before he took another bite.

"Loki Laufeyson, the charges against you are most grave. How do you plead?"

A mumble, intelligible, and with a hand keeping lettuce from falling out of his mouth.

"Loki…!" the tone was a warning.

The demigod chewed desperately, swallowing most of the bite before replying, more discernibly this time.

"Innocent."

"WHAT? You have the GALL to claim that you are innocent of-" Loki began crumpling up the paper wrapping loudly, and Odin continued, shooting his dark-haired son a glare as the mischief god's brother watched with a barely hidden smile, "-that you are innocent of betrayal and attacking Midgard?"

"I did not betray you, the throne was mine by right in Thor's…" He left one of his signature 'long' awkward pauses as he turned slowly to look at his brother, then back at Odin "…..absence. You had started a war with the frost giants, and I merely took the burden of that war upon my shoulders, along with the duties of the AllFather. As for Midgard…well…that's another matter. Seeing as you are not the guardian of their realm, you do not have the right to convict me of anything done there. Thor is the closest representative available, as he is the self-proclaimed 'protector' of that place…" Loki glanced up at his brother through dark lashes, eyes wide and eyebrows drawn up slightly into his signature 'kicked puppy look'. "Brother, do you hate me enough to wish me locked away for eternity?"

"Of COURSE not Loki! Don't be ridiculous! I would never-!"

Before Thor had a chance to amend his statement, or even realize what he'd said, Loki turned back to the AllFather, his expression calm and confident.

"There you have it. Innocent. Now if someone would be so kind as to undo these cuffs…?"

* * *

"You can't have me arrested for 'mouthing off in court'!" Loki shouted as he was none-too-gently shoved into the prison cell and the door slammed behind him.

The AllFather's smirk appeared on the other side of the bars.

"Yes. Yes I can."

"Thor!" He shouted, pressing his face to the bars as Odin walked away, trying to get a glimpse of his brother. "You can't let them do this to me! Brother, help!"

The blonde demi-god's trigger 'keyword' seemed to have no effect.

"It's only for a millennium or so. I promise I'll bring Schwarma once a year."

Loki watched with a growing sense of dread as the prison door closed behind the AllFather and his adopted brother, and the guards turned to glare at him menacingly, just DARING him to try anything.

Well.

Damn.


	3. Chapter 3

Okay, so tomorrow is my first day off of work (including weekends) in nearly a month. I am half beaten to death by 6AM mornings followed by 8-10 hour long work days outside in the 100+ degree heat. I beg your forgiveness for not updating, but I've been half-dead since last chapter. I hope to have a 4h of July chapter up before August, but no promises.

Enjoy.

* * *

Loki sighed, letting his eyes wander to the ceiling.

Four hours. It had been four hours since Odin and Thor had deserted him here, and neither had showed any signs of returning since.

Perhaps Odin WAS serious, after all…

He shrugged the thought off, sitting up. Four hours was long enough of a time-out for his 'misbehaving' at the trial. If Odin wasn't going to let him out, he was going to let _himself_ out.

Loki pressed his cheek to the cold metal that barred his escape, trying to locate the guards around the corner.

One of them leaned up against the wall at the end of the dungeon block, idly picking at the dirt on his hands, and the other looked to be sitting in a chair across from the first guard, snoring.

Easy.

It only took the trickster a second to get the lock open. The idiots had done nothing to bar his magic when they shut him in here.

A simple illusion at the far end of the hall, and the one conscious guard was kept busy for the next few hours searching for the 'sexy red-head' he thought he saw.

As soon as the guard had left, Loki gave the door a gentle shove. It opened with ease.

Strolling casually through the halls, he let his thoughts wander.

The relative silence in his own mind was a blessed release from the past few weeks. After running into the Chitauri for the first time, he had been captured, tortured for information about the Tesseract, and finally put under their mind-control – the same thing he had used on the Hawk-eyed man, the Doctor and the rest of his temporary mortal minions.

It was powerful…for all his magical ability, he wasn't able to break it. The few times he had tried, a sort of illusion was tripped in which he relived the moment the Chitauri had bound him.

The desolate planet. The Chitauri monsters lurking about in the shadows. The sickening, grating voice that spat the words "You'll long for something sweet as pain" into his ear…

And then agony. Sharp, piercing agony that burrowed through his temples like a dagger and drove away any thoughts of breaking their control over him.

But luckily for him, there was an out. It had actually been the Son of Coul who had alerted him to it, by blasting him through a wall with that ridiculous gun of his. Foolish, brave man. In the few seconds after Loki's head met the floor, he felt the blue haze begin to clear, the demanding voices grow quiet, and the pain finally _stop_.

In retrospect, he really regretted having stabbed Coulson, and made a mental note to ask his daughter Hel - mistress of the underworld - for the small favor of bringing him back to life if the man had not survived the encounter. It was the least he could do after being shown how to escape his tormenters.

From there, he had tried everything – throwing himself into walls, having his minions club him over the head with large, blunt objects, even being hit by a car. Just _something_ to knock him out and force the voices from his head. With each blow, they grew a little weaker -he could feel his minions starting to escape his grasp as well, the Doctor building the escape sequence into his portal and Hawkeye breaking free entirely - but he could never hit his head hard enough for a cognitive recalibration to take place.

By the time of the invasion, Loki had been in a full-scale fight with the possession. He had only been in control of his actions for half the battle.

He hadn't meant to stab Thor. He had always wanted to hurt his brother, but not KILL him… Fortunately, the sane side overpowered the blue haze in time to hold the blow back, redirect it from Thor's heart to somewhere less vital on his chest. Enough to still cause pain, but not truly injure him.

Of course, it was the Monster that had finally done it. Smashed him into the ground with a force that no mortal (and most gods he knew) could not hope to match. And with that the haze was gone. Quite literally knocked out of his head.

In its place, the vague memories of an invasion, being captured, trying to enslave a planet, and even fighting his brother. By the time he had sorted everything out and climbed out of the crevice he had been beaten into, he found himself face to face with the Avengers, each with a weapon pointed at him, and the remains of his 'army' lying dead in the streets far below.

Of course, the look on Stark's face when he had asked about the drink was pricel-

Loki's thoughts were cut short as the collar of his tunic tightened around his neck, and his air intake was cut off, jarring him to a stop.

"Brother, how is it that I find you out of your cell? Did the AllFather not punish you?"

Damnit Thor…not you…not now… Loki thought in exasperation.

"I think that I have served time enough for whatever transgressions the AllFather has convinced himself that I committed…" he said seamlessly, trying and failing to remove Thor's fist from his collar.

"Brother, I do not think you are supposed to be out…"

"Thor, my dear, _dear_ brother…you can't be suggesting that you plan to take me back to that horrid cell and lock me up…?"

For good measure, he shot his best puppy-eyed, pleading expression back over his shoulder, hoping his brother could see it.

"Well…I…that is, the AllFather…" The blond stumbled incoherently for another second, then sighed. "Oh fine, brother. I will allow you to stay out, but only accompanied."

So much for sneaking off… but at least his collar was now free.

Loki took a deep breath, brushing some imaginary wrinkles out of his clothing before turning to face his brother.

He was not expecting what he saw.

"Thor…what ARE you wearing?"

* * *

Short chapter, sorry. Reviews are appreciated, and thank you to everyone who has left me a review! When I get time I will go back through and thank you all properly.


	4. Chapter 4 Part 1

I AM SO SORRY I MEANT TO UPDATE SOONER! I really did! It's just that I've had so much else going on and then writer's block...

But here you go! As a present...my 'speculation' about Loki being posessed last chapter? I looked into it. And it turns out that I might not have been all that far off...

askcallie tumblr com(slash)post/26479665529/so-i-think-i-figured-this-out (put '.' in gaps and put '/' where it says 'slash')

So yeah. I have to go see it again and watch his eyes to see if that's the only place it happens.

Anyway, chapter 4 was being a pain, so I split it into 2 parts. So here's chapter 4 part 1.

Enjoy!

* * *

"Remind me again where we are going, Thor?"

"Midgard. To celebrate the fourth day of the month."

"Do they do this EVERY month?"

"No, just this one."

"Why? All of the months have a fourth day…."

"You'll have to ask the Captain. He's the one that insisted we celebrate it."

"Why are we in these outfits? They look _ridiculous_…"

"I was told that it is Earth tradition to wear 'shorts' and 'tee-shirts' on this day."

"Why does mine have to have flowers on it? It makes me look so effeminate…"

"With those legs? You cannot be serious. And it was the Captain's idea. He figured that you would appear less threatening in this 'floral Hawaiian shirt' and 'canvas hat'."

"I still think I look foolish. And can you not remove the cuffs, at least?"

"Now Loki, you know you are only getting out of the cell temporarily. Father was irritated to find that you had escaped earlier, so we are lucky that he is allowing this. Besides, only he can take them off. I have no power to do that."

Loki couldn't resist sticking his tongue out at his brother's back in a childish manner as Thor strode ahead to the dimensional gate that would take them back to Midgard. It had only been a few minutes after his escape when his brother's loud voice had given him away, and Odin had tried to lock him up again. However, after pleading from both him and Thor, who had thought to invite him to this Midgardian celebration, Odin had agreed to let him out. For now.

In handcuffs and with his magic sealed.

But it still beat staring at the ceiling and listening to the idiot guards discuss trivialities.

"So what are we to do at this 'fourth day celebration'…?" he asked, quickening his pace to a jog in order to catch up with the blond.

Thor glanced over his shoulder and gave Loki a grin.

"From what I was told…eat, drink, and be merry."

Loki couldn't suppress a smirk as he joined Thor at the gate's edge, his brother continuing to ramble about the upcoming 'feast' that they were going to.

"…all kinds of food, and celebrations all day, and a 'parade' and people lighting 'working fires' at night or something of the sort…apparently a big tradition for this celebration…and fine mead…and the best of meats prepared over fires and served fresh…"

* * *

The whole of Stark Tower had been re-decorated for the holiday in the typical Tony Stark way… over the top, excessive, and expensive as hell. The entirety of the third floor had been replaced by a full-sized swimming pool with a floating cocktail bar and a Statue of Liberty fountain in the middle.

Loki glanced around the lobby in wonder. It was full of people, all wearing shades of red, blue, and white. He had to admit that he and Thor blended in rather well with their strange clothes…

"Thor!"

Loki glanced up sharply as Tony walked up to them, wearing his Iron Man suit. However, instead of the usual red and gold, it had the American flag painted across it.

"_So_ good to see you again, friend. And look! You even brought your brother."

Loki sent a withering glare down the bridge of his nose.

"You are just as short as I remember."

"Missed you too, Boris Carloff…" Tony muttered, walking past the two and being sure to bump Loki's shoulder on the way by.

Loki didn't have time to think up a witty retaliation before his brother was tugging him deeper into the crowds.

Above their heads a giant silver ball spun, tossing reflections of the red, white, and blue lights across the room like confetti. Streamers and balloons covered the walls and ceiling, and skimpily clad girls walked around on ridiculous heels offering blue cocktails with small, sparkling rods sticking out of them to the guests.

Other than the décor, Stark Tower looked mostly like he had remembered before the attack… save for a few new additions here and there. The elevator doors were fancier. More windows along the front. A display case with S.H.I.E.L.D. weaponry and armor in it, and…damn him, Stark had turned a section of the cracked and vaguely Loki-shaped cement floor from the old building into an attraction…

The dark haired god paused for a second to glare at two small children who were taking turns lying in the indent and plastering their faces with ridiculous expressions, playing 'dead', before Thor tugged him the rest of the way through the crowds.

Along the far wall - in a group kept partially to themselves, as if unwilling to get too close to the other guests - stood the rest of the Avengers.

They looked different in casual clothing. Less…threatening. Loki supposed the same could be said of him without 40 pounds of leather and metal covering his thin body.

Apparently they had been informed of his attendance, because none of them began attacking him or Hulking out. And thank the nine realms for THAT…

They were all situated around a small table that had been set up out of the way, a bouquet of color-themed flowers in the center, and a bar within easy walking distance. Probably Tony's choice.

His brother was greeted joyfully by the seated warriors, and he received either a stiff 'hello' or was ignored by each as they saw him. This suited him just as well, he didn't particularly feel like talking to the people who had ruined his plan to take over.

Edging slightly further away from Banner, he turned his attention to Thor's conversation.

"-and where is Director Fury?"

"Director Fury couldn't make it. Council meeting." Natasha explained, picking up Clint's glass and casually taking a sip. "He sent Hill in his stead. She's…somewhere. I think she went to get food."

Thor nodded, elbowing a houseplant out of the way and sitting down beside Banner.

Loki chose to remain standing.

"So how are things up in Asgard?" the doctor asked, specifically avoiding looking at Loki.

"They are good. Father is well, and my brother is doing much better."

"Oh yeah…_much_…" Natasha agreed with a sarcastic nod as Loki treated his brother to a rather murderous glare.

"How about on Midgard? How are the repairs going?"

"Well I'm pretty sure they have a team of repairmen on hold somewhere given how often this city gets leveled by Super-hero brawl-outs…most everything is back open and in one piece."

"That's good." Thor nodded, taking stock of the others – more specifically, their glasses, "Where are the drinks?"

"Bar's over there. I suggest the 'Star Spangled Scotch'. Quite tasty. And it comes with an umbrella." Steve nodded toward the bar, absently twirling the mini paper umbrella from his glass between two fingers.

Thor stood, nudging Loki closer to the table as he passed.

"Brother, sit and be social."

One of Loki's eyebrows shot right up to his hairline. Did Thor even HEAR what he just said?

Romanoff and Barton were giving his brother similar looks. Banner just looked mildly amused.

He turned to look awkwardly at the Avengers as his brother left. There was a moment of dead silence as he sized them up, and he assumed they were doing the same.

Barton looked like he was about to say something when the sound of someone clearing their throat from somewhere close beside them cut him off.

"Well hello."

Loki froze as he recognized the voice, stiffly turning around to find himself face-to-face with a familiar S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.

Coulson held out a beer with a smirk.

"Didn't know that the mighty 'King Loki' celebrated the Fourth of July."

The mischief god was uncharacteristically at a loss for words, and so instead took the cold bottle tentatively from the agent. Hel had been unexpectedly fast with that favor…

Coulson shot him a smile that was obviously hiding a threat as he moved to join the circle. "Let me tell you, though. If you try taking over the Earth again, I will tase you and watch Supernanny while you drool into the carpet. I remembered my Taser this time." He patted his pocket for emphasis.

Loki looked mildly disgusted. Stark snorted from somewhere behind them.

"Isn't that the same threat you gave me?" he asked, nudging his way between Coulson and Loki, and taking a seat next to a pretty young woman with strawberry blonde hair.

"Yes. I figure that I can deal with him the same way I deal with you, Stark…you both have similar personalities…and egos."

"I resent that." Loki and Tony said flatly, shooting a glare at each other.

Coulson turned his attention to the Captain.

"As for you, I have something. Now…if I could only remember where I put it…"

The agent busied himself with searching through his pockets while Captain America looked on with an embarrassed smile.

"Is it the trading cards? I would be happy to sign them…"

"No, no, though I would much like that as well, but I have something else for you…Aha!"

He produced a small package, wrapped nicely in star-spangled paper.

"Happy birthday, Captain."

Steve blushed deep red.

"It's your birthday?" Banner asked.

"And you didn't _tell_ us?" Hawkeye chimed in, reclaiming his drink from Natasha with a half-hearted glare.

"Well, I didn't expect to get anything…" Steve started, rubbing the back of his head and neck.

"Wait. Hold on a second." Stark leaned forward in his seat, motioning toward Steve with his half-empty shot glass. "You were born…on the 4th of July? CAPTAIN AMERICA…was born…on the 4th OF JULY? OH this is too good…"

"Shut up, Tony." The strawberry-blonde turned to Steve with a smile, "Open it!"

Loki watched with interest as the man carefully untied the ribbon and unstuck the tape, being sure not to rip the paper, before unfolding it to reveal a small box.

The Captain removed a small pistol from the box, vintage. Setting that on the table to let the others admire it, he gingerly lifted what looked to be small silver pins from the box, unwrapping each of them from the soft white paper that they had been folded inside.

"These are…"

"Your Captain's Bars." Coulson filled in for him. The way he was smiling, anyone would have thought he was receiving the present. "We found them in the wreckage. The pistol was in a vault. Thought you would like to be reunited with them."

Steve looked up at Coulson, eyes glistening with gratitude.

"Thank you so much, this means the world to me…"

The happy, if slightly awkward silence was broken quickly by Tony.

"I still can't believe that you were born on the 4th of July…Are we all supposed to have birthdays on holidays to match our theme? Brucy, were you born on St. Patrick's Day?"

"What is-"

"You wear green on that day." Tony's lady friend explained to Thor as the blonde returned with a large glass of what Loki presumed was liquor.

"Oh, that's right." Stark sat back in his seat, waving his glass at each person as he introduced them.

"Pep, this is Thor. The demi-god I told you about. Thor, this is Pepper. CEO of Stark Industries, my current girlfriend, co-planner of this lovely tower, and main planner for this little party."

The two greeted one another as Stark downed the last drain of his Scotch before continuing. "Tall, dark and moody beside him there is his brother, Loki. The reason we had to replace the floor upstairs. And the windows. And half of the city…"

Loki gave her a curt nod, resisting the urge to take Stark's bait and start another verbal battle.

"You're the one who threw Tony out the window?" Pepper demanded.

"In my defense, you didn't hear what he said before I did."

Pepper turned her inquisitor's stare on Tony, who choked on his drink.

"Woah, Pep, hang on a minute…! You're not gonna believe him, are you?"

"Dunno Tony, you don't tend to think about what you say before you blurt it out…" Hawkeye pointed out, pouring another glass for himself.

"Just who's side are you on? Is this about the bird-seed comment I made earlier? It is, isn't it?"

The two devolved into a petty argument that Loki tuned out as soon as Tony started making bird calls at Hawkeye.

Thor dragged over some more chairs, so that he and Coulson could sit. Loki remained standing, ignoring Thor's offer of a seat until the blond started shooting him puppy-eyed, pleading looks. He sat then, if ONLY to get Thor to stop.

The conversation among the Avengers was trivial and friendly and thoroughly uninteresting to the trickster god, who spent most of the next hour watching the crowds pass by and wondering what was so special about the fourth day of this month.

Perhaps the Captain could explain to him later.

* * *

Sorry if it seemed a bit rushed. Next chapter will continue from here. Reviews are always appreciated, and thanks for reading! Happy (LATE AS HELL) 4th of July.


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